Jim Dornan - An Everyday Miracle

I n 2002 I married the amazing and beautiful Samina who hails from Asia. She is an obstetrician and gynaecologist like me, and her support for womens rights, and indeed the rights of all on a global scale, is an inspiration to me both personally and professionally.

In 2004 I was elected Senior Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London, with particular responsibility for developing global health initiatives. I shared offices with fellow officers Shaughn OBrien and Ric Warren and those years, during which I enjoyed the benefit of their intellectual nous, friendship, wit and support, were by far the most educationally stimulating of my life.

Around the same time I met the indefatigable Nynke van den Broek from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She has been an ongoing inspiration to me and she sees no barriers to what must be done for the mothers of the world. She has led me to the conclusion that women worldwide need empowerment, education and respect far beyond that which men have given them access to thus far.

Throughout my life I have been enormously blessed. I spent my early years in an environment where caring for people was part and parcel of everyday life. My father Jim, although a highly qualified accountant, was for over thirty years General Manager of the Incorporated Cripples Institutes (now the Northern Ireland Institute for the Disabled). My mother Clare also worked on that campus as the first occupational health carer in Northern Ireland. My parents motivated and encouraged me and their work gave me the opportunity to form many great friendships.

Whatever I have achieved, I could not have done so without many empathetic teachers at Bangor Grammar School; Alan Abraham and John Teasey stand out as truly encouraging and supportive. At Queens University and throughout my career, Harith Lamki carefully and continually mentored me and Buster Holland and Ken Houston consistently drove me forward with encouragement, wisdom and the benefit of their experience. Rory Casement had a huge respect for all fellow human beings and women in particular and many of our coffee breaks were spent sorting out the outside world, to our satisfaction at least. These friends and colleagues taught me so much and were an ongoing inspiration to me as we worked together in the labour suites of Northern Ireland.

I met my wonderful first wife Lorna in 1970. We were blessed with many happy times together and she was an enormous support to me for many years. Her early death from cancer devastated me and our three children, Liesa, Jessica and Jamie. I think she would be immensely proud of them and what they have achieved.

This book is my first attempt at non-clinical writing and was stimulated by Alice ORawe from Queens Alumni office who suggested the idea, encouraged me to put pen to paper and persuaded Patsy Horton of Blackstaff to give me a chance to publish. It has been a real pleasure to work with the whole team at Blackstaff in spite of the liberal use of red pen!